Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Mary T. Shaffer, and the reappointment of Susan Larson and Cindy Werner to the Governor’s Residence Council (GRC). All three are appointed to four-year terms that expire on January 2, 2012.

Larson, of St. Paul, is a candidate for a doctorate degree from the Department of Social and Cultural Studies in Education at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, where she will complete her Ph.D. this summer. A researcher and writer by profession, she is employed by the Department of Homeland Security, a researcher on the international “Finland-Swedish Women and Immigration” project, and an author and editor for Encyclopedia Britannica. Previously, Larson was the executive director of the Swedish Council of America; executive director of the University of Minnesota Center for Scandinavian Studies Department of German, Scandinavian and Dutch; the founder of the Finnish Studies Program at UC Berkeley, where she held various program director, instructor and research positions. Larson, who has been a member of the GRC since 2004 and is currently secretary, is reappointed as a public member.

Shaffer, of Golden Valley, is a design project manager with Target Corporation, and its Region 100 lead design project manager. Previously, she held project architect positions with Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc., Architectural Alliance and Horty, Elving and Associates. Shaffer has been an architect for over 20 years and holds a bachelor of science degree in architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a member and current president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Minneapolis Chapter; a member of the AIA, Minnesota Chapter Board of Directors; and is a member and past chair of the AIA-Minnesota Architecture in the Schools Committee. Shaffer replaces Linda Ostberg as an architect member who is a member of the Minnesota Chapter of the AIA.

Werner, of White Bear Lake, is a realtor with Coldwell Banker Burnet, where she is a president’s club member specializing in residential sales and is certified by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She is a member of the National, Minnesota, and St. Paul Area Associations of Realtors. Prior to becoming a realtor in 1986, Werner held marketing positions with Duracell USA and Medtronic. Werner earned her MBA from Thunderbird School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona, and her bachelor of arts degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She is a past president of the Junior League of St. Paul, served as a board member of the YWCA of St. Paul, and chaired the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Alumni Council. Werner, who has been a member of the GRC since 2004, is reappointed as a public member to another four-year term that expires on January 2, 2012.

The Governor’s Residence Council develops and implements an overall restoration plan for the governor’s residence and surrounding grounds and solicits contributions to restore, maintain, improve and furnish the building. The council consists of 19 members, including 13 appointed by the Governor.